Verizon To Charge “Convenience” Fee For Payments Made Online Or Via Phone Starting January 15th [Rant]

Good ol’ Verizon, always passing the savings onto its customers. If you didn’t catch the sarcasm in that last statement, prepare yourselves for disappointment. Verizon apparently believes you should be charged a “convenience” fee for paying your bill. Yea, I know — what a convenience it is to shell out hundreds of dollars to a company that has three outages in one month. Okay, so the “convenience” fee really only applies to anyone trying to pay their bill online or over the phone with any method other than electronic check. You’re also safe from being charged a fee if you are enrolled in AutoPay.

When these types of stunts are pulled by companies, I always call bullshit — and that’s not going to change here. This is nothing more than Verizon passing down charges they should be paying. Sort of like the whole “go paperless and save a tree” BS. It’s always about the company saving money at the expense of the consumer. We give them the “convenience” of not having to spend money on paper, ink, and shipping by going paperless, but where’s our savings? Think is works the other way around — nope!

Well folk, starting January 15th, if you plan on paying your bill online or over the phone with any method other than electronic check, be prepared for a $2 “convenience” fee. That’s right, you now have to pay to use the “convenience” of a credit card; the same card the system requires you to have in order to build credit. Try spending your life paying cash or check for stuff you can afford and you will find yourself denied by every loan department in the U.S. when trying to get a mortgage. Catch 22 for sure. It’s ironic that when you try to first sign up for service through Verizon you must pass a credit check or pay an ungodly deposit. Basically they don’t trust you unless you have good credit, but if you try to use that credit to pay your bills, it’s a convenience that they think should cost you extra. Makes sense — right?

I’d say fight back by switching to paper billing and mailing in your payment — that way Verizon’s payment processing costs go through the roof — but I’m sure in the end, they’ll find a way to pass that cost back down to you (perhaps a $5 outage fee to restore their networks when they fail.) I know I’m pissing and moaning but I have Verizon and have been dealing with this crap for years (and I don’t even get service at my house). Next you’ll tell me to switch carriers, well — it’s sort of like why I stay with Comcast: there’s no better option.